1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a print order system, a printing system, and an order terminal for placing a print order regarding image data via a network. The present invention also relates to programs that cause computers to execute procedures carried out in the printing system and in the order terminal.
2. Description of the Related Art
There have been known digital photograph service systems for carrying out various types of digital photograph services such as storing photographs obtained by users in image servers after digitization thereof, recording the photographs in CD-Rs to be provided to the users, printing images photographed by users with digital cameras, and receiving orders for additional prints. As one form of such digital photograph service systems, a printing service system for receiving print orders via a network such as the Internet has also been proposed.
In such a printing service system, a user installs viewer software to his/her personal computer, which acts as a user terminal, for reproducing image data recorded in a CD-R or obtained by a digital camera. The user reproduces images represented by the image data, and generates order information describing the content of an order by using an ordering function built-in to the viewer software if the user wishes to place an order. The user transfers the order information and the image data representing the images to be printed to an order reception server installed at a service center for receiving the order from the user terminal via the network such as the Internet. The order reception server transfers the order information and the image data to a print server installed at a large-scale laboratory for processing the order. Printed matter such as additional prints, picture postcards, or a photograph album is generated in the laboratory based on the order information.
The printed matter generated in the above manner is delivered or mailed to an agency specified by the user at the time of placing the order. In this manner, the user can receive the printed matter by paying a charge at the agency. The user can designate the agency at the time of placing the order, and a desired store or the like close to a place of residence or employment of the user is generally designated as the agency. The image data and the order information are transferred from the order reception server to the laboratory in collaboration with the agency designated by the user.
The order information herein referred to is information such as a processing number for specifying the content of a printing service (generation of ordinary prints or picture postcards or the like), an image number for specifying a photograph (a number representing an image data file), a print size, a quantity of prints, specification of printing paper (such as glossy or non-glossy), thickness of the printing paper, the content of photographic processing, and trimming specification, for example. The order information further includes information regarding the name, the address, the zip code and the phone number of the user, for example.
The printed matter generated in the printing service is delivered or mailed to the agency designated by the user at the time of placing the order, and the user receives the printed matter at the agency, as has been described above. If the agency installs a server for receiving the print order and the image data as well as a printer to print the image data, the agency can function as a laboratory. When the agency has the function of a laboratory, delivery of the printed matter to the agency becomes unnecessary. Therefore, although the agency is small as a laboratory, the time necessary for providing the user with the printed matter can be shortened.
Meanwhile, when the printed matter is generated, various types of image processing such as density conversion processing, white balance processing, gradation conversion and sharpness processing are carried out on the image data in order to improve the quality of the printed matter. Therefore, a method of carrying out appropriate image processing on image data has also been proposed, in order to generate printed matter of higher quality (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10(1998)-191246). In this method, photographing information such as use of flash and the type of lighting is added to image data obtained by a digital camera, and image processing is carried out appropriately on the image data with reference to the photographing information added to the image data.
Furthermore, a system for directly outputting image data obtained by a digital camera from a printer without involving a personal computer has also been proposed (Nikkei Electronics 2001.3.12 (No. 791) p. 27, Nikkei Electronics, 2001.3.26 p. 41-42). In such a conventional system, a photographer inputs a printing command that reflects his/her desired finish by using a digital camera. The printing command includes a γ value used for printing, a method of conversion into a color space adopted at the time of printing, adjustments for lightness, saturation, sharpness, and color balance, and a photographing mode (such as portrait mode or landscape mode), for example. The printing command is recorded in a header of the image data, and the image processing is carried out on the image data based on the printing command that is read with the image data by the printer. In this manner, a print reflecting the desired finish of the photographer can be obtained.
However, in the method described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10(1998)-191246, the image processing is carried out on the image data in order to cause the image data to be close to target reproduction values set in advance, although the image processing is based on the photographing information. Therefore, a print reflecting the desired finish of a photographer cannot be obtained. Moreover, in the conventional system described in Nikkei Electronics, input of a printing command reflecting the desired finish of a photographer for each image is extremely troublesome by using a digital camera, although a print can be obtained with the finish reflecting the desired finish of the photographer. In addition, in the case where the photographer has forgotten to change the photographing mode to the landscape mode at the time of photographing a landscape after photography in the portrait mode, the image processing appropriate for the portrait mode may be carried out on the image data because of the printing command indicating the portrait mode, although the image data represents the landscape. Furthermore, since a liquid crystal display monitor attached to a digital camera has a small screen that is not easy to see, confirming the finish of a print with a digital camera is difficult.